Salem's Story

[Recently I was asked to share Salem’s story with the East Central District as a witness of discerning God’s call and beginning new ministry. Of course, most congregations are not thrust into it as Salem was. Still, as God’s people we are always formed and reformed, made over and over again. This is the article I wrote.]

How is God at work in our community? How can our church participate in God’s mission to renew creation and usher in the kingdom of God fully? How will God’s Word continue to be spoken and heard in our community? What is the consequence of our praying, “Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven?” These are some of the questions Salem has been asking since the flood of 2008.

We looked at a church building that was for sale. We determined to accept the buyout of our downtown property. We considered building on the land that Salem already owns on Blairs Ferry Road. There were many opinions about what we could or should do.

We determined we needed to try and discern how God was moving in our community and in our congregation. Therefore, I encouraged our congregation to fast during Lent to help us hear God’s voice in our midst. I used Richard Foster’s wonderful book, Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth, to help us prepare. Fasting is a spiritual discipline that helps us draw near to God, leading to greater intimacy with the Lord and to hearing more clearly what the Lord is saying to us. Those who were fasting as well as others in the congregation were invited to gather once a week to pray together.

The ancient church manual, the Didache, prescribed two fast days a week – Wednesday and Friday. Our founder, John Wesley, revived this teaching from the Didache and urged early Methodists to fast on these two days. Later in Wesley’s life he fasted every Friday.

At the same time I encouraged our congregation to read scripture together. By reading two chapters a day, we read through the Gospels and Acts during Lent. We printed a bookmark to help us stay on track. I encouraged the congregation to be intentional about what it means for us to live together in a way that inhabits the world of the Bible rather than trying to make the Bible fit into our world.

After fasting, praying, and reading scripture together, I shared with the congregation our goal of unanimity. Unanimity means being of one mind and it is a gift of the Holy Spirit. It means allowing God to set our minds on the same thing. By ourselves, people can never be in unanimity. It is not the same thing as a democratically organized church, taking votes and relying on majority decisions. Decisions are made by consensus. Unanimity is a miracle that is possible only by the power of the Holy Spirit.

In his wonderful book, Does God Need the Church?, German theologian Gerhard Lohfink writes, “In the gift of unanimity, not in its own activity lies the theological mystery of the Church, its power and the fascination that goes forth from it. Living in unanimity is the first and most important mission of the Church.” Lohfink shows that the church does not operate on a model or by pastoral plans and strategies. Rather, the Spirit of God moves in purposeful and often surprising ways to accomplish God’s will. As God’s people we place our trust in the Lord and in God’s provision for us while remaining open to the surprising ways of God.

While we were fasting and praying during Lent, seeking God’s guidance and direction for Salem, New Creation UMC was making their own decisions. Ultimately, they graciously offered their 8.4 acres and phase one building for the cost of their remaining mortgage. Salem accepted the offer and found itself at a major turning point. God was leading us to a new location.

As Salem begins again in a new location, we have an awesome opportunity to reach out to others and welcome them. Because this is a “re-start” for Salem in a new location, we will be perceived as a new congregation, as a new thing. Research has shown that it only takes two Christians to bring one person to faith in Christ in churches three years old or less. In five year old churches it takes twelve Christians. In a ten year old church, it takes seventy-two Christians. Bringing new people to new congregations and ministries is far easier than bringing new people to established congregations. We do not want to squander this opportunity for every single person of Salem to reach out to new people and welcome them. There are new neighborhoods all around this new location. We will reach out to them. Moreover, there are unchurched neighbors, friends, family, and co-workers all around us too. Welcoming all these persons means reaching out to them first.

We will not do this simply for the sake of more people in the seats. Jesus began his ministry by proclaiming, “The kingdom of God has come near” (Matthew 4:12-17; Mark 1:14-15). Our calling as the Church is to proclaim, pray for, and embody God’s kingdom in the world, here and now. True, the kingdom of God is not fully realized yet, but it has begun. We have had a foretaste of the complete reign of God and we are to embody that foretaste in the world.

For us, that is what it means to be Salem. “Salem” comes from the Hebrew word shalom. This is usually translated as peace. God’s peace, however, is not just the absence of conflict but the wholeness of life. Shalom means completeness, wholeness, health, peace, joy, love, friendship, well-being, justice, and salvation. Salem/Shalom is God’s will for the world, for the renewal of creation.

Perhaps that all sounds easy. It is not. Usually, in times of change there is opposition and conflict, stress and angst. There may well be a struggle with the spiritual forces of evil (Ephesians 6:12). It is, however, an exciting adventure in the kingdom of God. What else would we expect following Jesus?

What is God calling your church to do? What are you willing to do to discern God’s call and take action in your community? Every church in the East Central District is invited to join in a “Season of Prayer” as together we determine the location of our ministries in the lives of people in our communities and world. Churches will self-select partners with other congregations in this journey between February 6 – March 8 next year. We will then be invited to participate in a “Season of Action” during Lent (March 9 – April 23), leading up to Easter (April 24). More information will be shared at pastors’ professional interviews and charge conferences.